Changes: The stories behind every David Bowie Song 1970-1980.

by Chris Welch

Musical chameleon David Bowie has had a more varied and influential career than any other single performer in rock. He was a young balladeer performing as Davy Jones in the late '60s and Ziggy Stardust in the glam rock era of the '70s. He switched gears again with Young Americans, and then reached multiplatinum success with Let's Dance in the '80s. David Bowie: We Could Be Heroes is a song-by-song analysis of every song Bowie has written and recorded, full of behind-the-scenes stories and quotes from those who have worked with him. Chris Welch has interviewed those who most influenced Bowie, such as Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Tony De Fries, as well as those who provided the inspiration for his music and lyrics.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 1999

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "stories" were disappointing but I liked the biographical details at the beginning. I got the feeling that the author didn't particularly like David Bowie or his music to be honest, too many snide comments. In the end, it was just his opinions really.

[Alec Downie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a massive Bowie fan I have read myself blind so hard to get anything new from this, other than I discovered James Brown did a version of Fame, called Hot (I need to be loved).

I am also not the type of Bowie fan that defaults to defensive when people make "valid" criticisms so it was a disappointment that the book was ruined by snide needless comments or observations that were personal opinions about production, writing or playing, from a person that I do not think has sold millions of records.

I was also expecting, "stories behind every song", eg the root of the song or more in depth meaning, rather than opinions on drum fills or out of tune sax.

In the end it was a struggle to finish, as it was not factually correct and sloppy in places but if you are not a huge fan, it is an easy intro.

[Andrew Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not massively insightful although it did allow me to discover some gems I hadn't come across and added some meaning and background to songs and albums with which I was already familiar. Would have appreciated some context as to who the author is and by which authority they are writing this book. And the consistent use of "Said Bowie ..." before every quote felt a bit lazy...

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reads like the mutterings of a disgruntled and unimpressed music critic. This is far less a book that contains stories about each Bowie song, but rather a review of each piece, with measly insights into the musical components that make up any given song.

I was disappointed that there really were no stories, given the date of the book that might be understandable, but even so surely the backstory (real or imaginative) could have been presented for Heroes, for instance? Perhaps the direct quote from Bowie himself? The book also contains glaring typos several times that leads one to think it was a rushed job done without much care.

The inclusion of several quotes from Bowie about each album, or about the time in which it was created, are the only thing of value in the book, but sifting through the commentary makes it almost a painful thing to sieve. If you're a major Bowie fan, this book probably won’t contain much you didn’t already know (or, indeed, know better).

(If you thought this review was harsh, it’s basically how the book itself is intoned.)

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series from Carlton Books is a lot of fun--the history of various rock legends, seen through the prism of their song catalogs. This covers Bowie's work between '70-'80. Honestly, the writing isn't great--it can get a little florid, or gossipy--and there always seem to be some questionable facts, but I love this kind of obsessive rock journalism. Did you know Peter Noone covered "Oh You Pretty Things"on his post-Herman's Hermits solo album? That's the kinda stuff you learn with these books.

[Scotty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did this the right way by listening and reading as I went, hence this relatively short book taking so long to get through.

There's a bit of good information and analysis throughout the entire book on what I would think of as Bowie's golden years (haha) on through the Berlin triptych and Scary Monsters. While my initial thoughts on reading this were, yeah, this would be good for a newbie looking to get into David Bowie's extensive catalog, that line of thought gradually changed as I kept reading. I started noticing more and more typos (not a really big deal) and just straightforward inaccurate information (a big deal). From inaccurate personnel credits to saying that It's No Game was on Lodger, the sheer number of careless mistakes was concerning. Poor editing could lead to some serious confusion.

I also didn't care for the author's injection of his opinions on what was good or bad Bowie work. Clearly, Welch didn't like anything after Young Americans, or even Diamond Dogs for that matter. I would be fine if he were just recounting popular opinion around the time of release, but regarding Scary Monsters, he acknowledges the popularity and then proceeds to voice that only Ashes to Ashes and Fashion are particularly worthwhile.

Maybe I'm biased (Bowie is tied for my favorite musician of all time, right along with Queen), but this particular book is lacking in many dimensions. Still, I appreciate any book that is going to get me back into deep analysis of Bowie's work.

[Lottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice. I love the layout. Helped fuel my David Bowie addiction nicely. Learnt a lot. Was obsessed with this book when I first bought it two years ago, took it with me to school everyday and stuff. C001 facts

[Alecsander Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think, perhaps, this would suit someone who wanted an introduction to Bowie in the 70s.
It sometimes seems a bit over critical and, although there's the eternal lyrics v music debate, doesn't dwell enough on the lyrics. (I think he missed what Station to Station was about.)
A good introduction.

[Jacob Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subtitle promises “All the songs, all the stories.” I’ll forgive the omission of all the great non-album tracks from this era, but this book really lacks any meaty research or reporting.

Not very well written besides. Far too subjective. Far too much sophomoric lyrical analysis.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked learning about the background of each song.

[Jessy Faiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku yang mengupas mengenai apa yang terjadi di balik semua lagu yang dibuat oleh si bunglon musik rock. Proses kreatifnya, ide dasar di belakangnya dan event-event apa saja yang menggugahnya untuk menggubah lagu (some hits, some miss, lots of it are not for the uninitiated, hehehe, he's quite a tough act to follow...)

All in all, buku ini sangat informatif bagi para penggemar Bowie, meskipun ada beberapa tipo (minor dan jarang, tapi ada).

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The music and life of a singer / songwriter are examined in this book.

I found the first half of this book really (probably because I favour his early music), the last sections were a bit laboured.

[Melissa Smith]

I loooove David Bowie!

[Hannah Jo Parker]

Bought this at Powell's last weekend. Can't believe I didn't own it before now.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book details the various albums / songs produced by David Bowie up to 1980.

I found this book to be not very in depth but still interesting.